Homecoming is a major event for both Morgan State University students and alums. This year’s homecoming carries greater significance for many as the university canceled festivities following the mass shooting near the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center on October 3, 2023.
It was the first time in Morgan’s 157-year history that the university canceled homecoming — including several events for alums. Organizers were able to reschedule only a couple of events, said Heidi Bruce, vice president of Morgan’s Alumni Association.
“You need your alumni to be engaged with the university because they’re the ones that support the university,” said Bruce. “They’re the ones that help it grow. Alumni are one of Morgan’s biggest support groups, so it’s very important for alumni to come back and support.”
The homecoming events for alums include campus tours during homecoming week, the inaugural Homecoming Hoops alumni basketball game, an alumni association business meeting, the alumni brunch and more.
Khalilah Harris is the president of the NextGen Morgan State Alumni Chapter and a class of ‘98 alum. She said she finds President David Wilson’s alumni meeting particularly helpful in understanding how the university is advancing and how it serves as a beacon of education to all universities, including HBCUs.
“Seeing people that I went to school with, feeling the energy on campus, reconnecting with sorority sisters, [and] other members of [the Divine 9] that I went to school with and generally just seeing the Morgan spirit and the Morgan energy back on campus are things I always look forward to,” said Harris. “Because it does drive me through the year when it comes to how I give and support at Morgan.”
Harris established the NextGen chapter in 2018 alongside fellow classmates to answer the need for intergenerational leadership.
“We found ourselves at a point where it’s pick your head up and see, ‘how are our students,’” said Harris. “Are we giving back to Morgan the way that Morgan gave to us?That was really the impetus, hence the name NextGen — next generation of leadership.”
According to Harris, her chapter continues to support the current students’ well-being following last year’s shooting, which derailed both homecoming events and the student’s psychological health.
“It was our chapter who stepped up to raise money for the Counseling Center, raising over $5,000 for the Counseling Center. We partnered with other alumni to host a prayer vigil on campus, to do a campus walk and on that Monday after when homecoming would have happened — we were out on the bridge,” said Harris.
Thousands of alumni, such as Harris, often return to campus for homecoming every year. According to Harris, it invokes school pride and nurtures a sense of responsibility among alumni to uplift and support fellow Morganites.
“We wanted to be out there and show some love, and I will say both faculty and students alike were so appreciative,” said Harris. “The energy was great and it was definitely that old Morgan spirit. It is why we are called the National Treasure.”
